15 August 2010

Victoria's Link to the Last Spike

Donald Smith drives the Last Spike at Craigellachie, B.C., on 7 Nov 1885. The boy behind him is Edward Mallandaine. The ceremony marked the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Victoria Vancouver Island British Columbia - "The Boy in the Picture:  The Craigellachie Kid and the Driving of the Last Spike" by Ray Argyle, Dundurn, 144 pages, $19.99.
 
Edward Mallandaine was a teenager from Victoria who went to the mainland in 1885, searching for adventure. He was determined to join the Canadian militia and help take on Louis Riel's rebellion.
 
By the time he got to Golden, though, the fighting was over. Mallandaine considered continuing to the Prairies anyway, or coming home to Victoria, but he didn't like either idea. So he decided to head back to Revelstoke, called Farwell back then, and get involved in the construction of the railway.
 
He found adventure there, and had a more exciting time than he would have had in the Mallandaine family home on Simcoe Street in James Bay. His father, also named Edward, was a leading architect in Victoria.
 
The younger Edward became part of Canadian history by placing himself at the right spot on the morning of 7 Nov 1885, when Donald Smith drove the Last Spike at Craigellachie.
 
That's our Edward in the middle of the photograph, surrounded by dignitaries and a few construction workers, with one foot confidently placed on a rail tie just behind Smith.
 
In later years, Mallandaine went into business in Creston, where he died in 1949.
 
Mallandaine's role in the famous photograph has been known for years. He was featured in Pierre Berton's books on the railway, and on the television series based on the books.
 
But Toronto writer Ray Argyle, the author of this biography, has special insight into the story. Growing up in Creston, he got to know Mallandaine, and learned what he could about Mallandaine's youth.
 
His book is based on historical records and his conversations with Mallandaine, with some additional details and dialogue added to keep it flowing. Oh, and that photo, too.
 
It is, admittedly, a book aimed at younger readers, but don't let that sway you. It is still highly readable, and it will help to shed new light on the construction of the railway 125 years ago.
 
Besides, it is the only book-length biography of Mallandaine. He was part of Victoria's history, and he was our most visible connection to the railway that linked the province to the rest of Canada. He's worth reading about.
 
Dave Obee.